Single crochet increase (inc)
inc (2 sc in 1) in US patterns. UK: double crochet increase (inc (2 dc in 1)). German: Zunahme.
To increase in single crochet, work one single crochet into a stitch, then work a second single crochet into that same stitch. Two stitches now sit on top of one, so the row or round gets one stitch bigger.
Step by step
Scroll through the steps and the model follows. Tap a step to jump to it.
- You have just worked one single crochet into this stitch. One loop on the hook.
- Go back into the same stitch you just used (glowing).
- Insert the hook under both loops of that same stitch.
- Yarn over: catch the working yarn behind the work.
- Pull up a loop through the stitch. 2 loops on the hook.
- Yarn over.
- Draw the yarn through both loops on the hook…
- Second single crochet in the same stitch: 2 stitches from 1. That is an increase.
Names and turning chain
- US
- single crochet increase (inc (2 sc in 1))
- UK
- double crochet increase (inc (2 dc in 1))
- German
- Zunahme (2 fM in 1 M)
- Turning chain
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When you use it
Increases make fabric wider: they turn a magic ring into a flat circle and give amigurumi its round shape. Most amigurumi patterns write it as "inc" and mean 2 single crochets in one stitch.
A typical round-by-round pattern: round 1 is 6 sc in a magic ring, round 2 is inc in every stitch (12), round 3 is 1 sc then inc, repeated (18). Spreading increases evenly keeps the circle flat.
How to count it
After an increase, you have two V's where there was one. Count every V in the round to check.
Practice piece
Increases are easiest to learn in a flat circle, because a mistake shows up at once as a cup or a ruffle.
- Make a magic ring with 6 single crochet (6). Place a stitch marker in the first stitch.
- Round 2: increase in each stitch (12). Round 3: (sc, inc) 6 times (18).
- Round 4: (2 sc, inc) 6 times (24). Round 5: (3 sc, inc) 6 times (30). Move the marker up at the start of every round.
The circle should lie flat on the table. If it cups upward, you missed an increase; if it ruffles, you added one. Count each round against the number in brackets before you start the next one, and keep this circle for the invisible decrease practice.
No yarn yet? For your first stitches, use a smooth, light-colored worsted-weight yarn and a 5.5 mm (I-9) hook. What yarn and hook to buy.
How it looks in a pattern
Rnd 3: (sc, inc) x 6 (18).
Repeat the part in brackets six times: one single crochet in the next stitch, then an increase (two single crochets) in the stitch after it. Twelve stitches become eighteen. You may also see it written "*sc in next st, 2 sc in next st; rep from * around".
Common mistakes
- Going into the next stitchThe second stitch goes back into the same stitch as the first. Look for the stitch your first sc just came out of.
- Stacked increasesIf every round puts its increases in the same place, the circle becomes a hexagon. Many patterns offset them: start some rounds with half the plain stitches.
- Losing countUse a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round and count at the end.
Questions
- What does inc mean in crochet?
- Increase: work 2 stitches into one stitch. In amigurumi patterns it almost always means 2 single crochets in the same stitch.
- Can I increase with other stitches?
- Yes. "2 dc in next st" is a double crochet increase. It works the same way: two stitches into one.
- Why is my circle ruffling?
- Too many increases for your tension. Try a smaller hook or check that you are not adding an extra increase per round.